Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Earlier this week, Academi, the mercenary successor to Blackwater, told the German newspaper Zeit Online it does not have personnel on the ground in Ukraine assisting the junta in its effort to roll back opposition.

Former CNN Intelligence Correspondent and current Vice President at
Academi, Suzanne Kelly, told the German news website her company does
not have personnel in Ukraine and does not plan to send any. She
characterized media reports linking Academi to Blackwater as “incredibly
irresponsible.”
Academi is in fact linked to Blackwater and its successor, XE Services. In December, 2001 The Washington Post ran a story with the headline “Ex-Blackwater firm gets a name change, again.”

Kelly’s less than forthright remark about the company also casts
doubt on the assertion the mercenary firm is not assisting the coup
government in Kyiv.